Bobbin pickup knob



United States Patent [72] Inventors Charles C. L'Allelnend [56] References Cited mm! V UNITED STATES PATENTS g' 2,179,603 1 1/1939 Tinnerman 16/121 (UXR) A I No 736 38 2,553,880 5/1951 Stigler 16/114X m] f 2 19 3,107,067 10/1963 Atwood et a1. 242/1183 Patented Nov 3,276,717 10/1966 Lewis et al 242/1 18.61

[73] Assignee By mesne assignments, to Bald? Corporation! Primary Examiner-Ge0rge F. Mautz Mllltown, New Jerse 'Attomey- Pennie, Edmonds, Morton, Taylor and Adams 110 1 Del y a corpora n 0 aware.

[54] BOBBIN PICKUP KNOB 3 Claims, 4 Drawing Figs. v [52] [1.8. 242/1183 [51] Int. (I 36511 75/10 [50] F1eldoISelrch..... 242/1183,

ABSTRACT: A pickup knob for textile bobbins comprises a cylindrical main body haying a manual pickup flange disposed at the top end and a tubular snap latch member extending downwardly from the bottom end of the main body. The tubular snap latch member comprises .a plurality of springy latching fingers that are adapted to beinserted into an opening formed in the top end cap of a bobbin, and a locking bushing is adapted to be inserted into the lower end of the tubular snap latch member to prevent withdrawal of said member from said opening.

Patented Nov. 17, 1970 3,540,673

INVENTORS CHARLES c. L'ALLEMAND BY FRANCIS L. HUNT ATTORNEYS BOBBIN PICKUP KNOB I BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Textile bobbins or pirns of the type to which the present invention relates are employed by the manufacturers of synthetic yarns to wind up on the bobbin, by means of a drawtwister machine, the synthetic yarns being manufactured. The bobbin with the yarn wound thereon is referred to as a yarn package and as such is shipped to customers of the menu'- facturer who weave cloth and make other textile products from the yarn. The empty bobbin is then returned to the manufacturer for reuse. A major manufacturer of synthetic yarns may own as many as 10 or 20 million bobbins of various kinds, some of which are in its possession and othersof which are in transit or in the possession of the manufacturer's CUSIOITICI'S.

Conventional drawtwistcr bobbins comprise a tubular metal barrel, top end and bottom end caps secured to the top and bottom ends, respectively. of the metal barrel and a tubular outer cover of plastic material over all. They are ordinarily about 1210 18 inches in length and are about 1 A to 3 A yarn is wound on the bobbin by the drawtwister machine, the

yarn package is removed fromthe machine for storage or shipment to the ultimate consumer. The yarn package must be carefully handled by machine operators and other workers to avoid damage to the yarn wound on the bobbin. In many cases, the yarn is givena special coating thatmust be kept immaculately clean so that any contact with foreign objects, such as the hands of the operators, must be carefully avoided. How-' ever, economic factors and the requirements of their customers are impelling yarn manufacturers to attempt to wind greater amounts of yarn on each bobbin, and drawtwister machines and bobbins of recent manufacture are designed to accomplish this result. The consequent increase in the size of bobbins and in the amount of yarn wound on a bobbin have increased the gross weight of yarn and bobbin to the point that yarn packages are now difficult for machine operators and other personnel to handle, without damage to the yarn. This is particularly true in cases where practically the entire outer surface of the bobbin is covered with yarn that cannot be contacted by the operator. To overcome this problem it has been proposed that existing bobbins be replaced by longer, easier to handle bobbins. However, because of the number of bobbins in existence such a replacementprogram would be prohibitively expensive.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION After an intensive investigationinto the problems involved in handling relatively heavy yarn packages without damage to the yarn wound on the bobbin, we have. devised a novel bob.-

drawing) and an outer cover 15. 'Themetal barrel I2 is finger locking bushing thatis adapted to be inserted into the lower end of the tubular snap latch portion of the pickup knob.

When the snap latch portion of the pickup knob is inserted inthe said circular opening in the top end cap, the resilient latching fingers are first pressed radially inwardly and then snap or spring radially outwardly to secure the pickup knob to the top end capJThe latching finger lock bushing is then inserted into the lower end of the tubular snap latch portion to prevent the latching fingers from being withdrawn from the opening in the top end cap of the bobbin. The bobbin pickup is thereby securely attached to the bobbin, and provides a BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING The bobbin pickup knob of our invention will be better understood from the following description thereof in conjunction with the accompanying drawings ofwhich:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary view partly in section of the top end of a conventional bobbin showing the pickup knob of our invention'in position for insertion in the. top end cap of the bobbin;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary sectional view of the top end of a bobbin showing the pickup knob secured to the top end cap of the bobbin; i

FIG/3'is' a view from below'of the pickup knob shown in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 4'is a sectional view along lines 4-4 of FIG. 2.

DETAILEDIDESCRIPTION the bobbin pickup knob 11 of our invention is adapted to be I used comprises, in its major components, a tubular metal barrel 12, a' top end cap l3, a bottom end cap (not shown in'the fabricated from a suitable strong material such as steel or aluminum. The top end cap 13 and the bottom end cap (not shown) are advantageously molded from a hard, tough thermoplastic material such as nylon or A.B.S. resin or the like, and these end caps are secured to the upper end and thelower end, respectively of the metal barrel in the manner hereinafter described. The outer cover 15 is advantageously an extruded tube of thermoplastic material that extends from slightly above the bottom of the bottom end cap upwardly over the metal barrel to slightly below the top of'the top end cap, the upper end of the 'outer cover 15 advantageously being formed with an inwardly curled portion 16 (FIG. 1) or 160 (FIG. 2) of I v the type known in the art.

The top end cap 13 of the bobbin 10 comprises a first cylindrical section 18 the outside diameter of which is approximately equal to the inside diameter of the metal barrel l2 and a second cylindrical section 19 the outside diameter of which is approximately equal to the outside diameter of said metal barrel 12. The lower end of the first cylindrical section- 18 is received in and'secured to an annular locking ring member 20 of the typedescribed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,953,317. The top end cap 13 with the locking member 20 secured thereto is force-.

tion, and a generally tubular snap latch portion that extends fitted in the upper end of the metal barrel 12 in the manner known in the art. The upper end of the top end cap 13 is provided with an essentially circular top portion 21, the circular top portion being formed witlla circular recess 22 and with a centrally disposed circular opening 23. The bottom end cap '(not shown) is of essentially similar construction and is forcefitted into the bottom end of the metal barrel 12.

The bobbin pickup knob 11 is advantageously integrally molded from a strong, tough thermoplastic material such as nylon or AB. S. resin. It comprises a generally cylindrical main body portion 25 the outside diameter of which is approximately equal to the inside diameter of the circularrecess 22 formed in the top end cap 13, and a manual pickup flange portion 26 that is disposed at the upper end ofthe main body portion 25 of the pickup knob. The flange portion 26 advantageously isformed with a circular recess 27 similar to the circular recess 22 of the top end cap 13. The pickup know 11 is also provided with a generally tubular snap latch portion 28 that extends below the lower end ofthe main body portion 25 and that is adapted to be inserted in the opening 23 of the top end cap 13.. v

A s clearly shown in FIGS. 1 and 3,'the tubular snap latch portion 28 of the pickup knob 11 is formed from a plurality of circumferentially spaced'latching fingers 30, the latching fingers 30 being separated from each other by slots or spaces '31 which permit the wedge-shaped lower ends 32 of the fingers 30 to be moved or pressed radially inwardly so as to allow the latching fingers to be inserted or snapped into the opening 23. The pickup knob H is also provided with a latching finger locking bushing33 which is adapted to be inserted into the end of the tubular snap latch portion. v

The bobbin extender 1] is secured to the end cap 13 of the bobbin as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4. To accomplish this, the tubular snap latch portion 28 is'inserted into the opening 23 formed in the top cap member 13, the thermoplastic material from which the pickup knob 11 is formed having sufficient inherent resiliency to permit the latching fingers 30 to be forced inwardly and then to spring outwardly to secure the pickup knob in place as shown in FIG. 2. The locking bushing 33 is then inserted into the lower end ,ofthe tubular snap latch portion 28. as also shown in FIG. 2, to prevent the latching fingers 30 from being withdrawn from the opening 23. The outer stirface of the locking bushing 33 is advantageously roughened or serrated to prevent dislodgment of the bushing from within the interior ofthe tubular snap latch portion 28..

Although the pickup knob 11 has been described as an improvemcntthat is added or secured to existing textile bobbins, it is obvious that the pickup knob can equally well be secured to the top end cap 13 of a new bobbin when this bobbin is originally manufactured. The bobbin pickup knob possesses the important advantage that. as a direct result of its being molded separately from the top end cap 13, it possesses a smooth outer surface free of ridges and other surface irregularitics attributable to the part line of the mold in which it is formed. The absence of such surface irregularities eliminates. possible yarn-snagging protrusions which can interfere with the processing of the yarn on the bobbin.

From the foregoing description of the pickup knob of our invention it will .be seen that we have made an important contribution to the art to which this invention relates.

We claim:

1. A bobbin pickup knob adapted to be secured to the top end cap ofa textile bobbin, the circular top of said top end cap being'formed with a centrally disposed circular opening, said bobbin pickup knob comprising a generally cylindrical main body portion, a manual pickup flange portion disposed at the upper end of said main body portion and integrally formed therewith, and a generally tubular snap latch portion extending below the lower end of the main body portion and integrally formed therewith, said tubular snap latch portion comprising a plurality of circumferentially spaced resilient latching fingers adapted to be inserted through the circular opening formed in the top cap member, the pickup knob being provided with a tubular latching finger lock bushing adapted to be inserted in the lower end of the tubular snap latch portion of the pickup knob and to radially engage the inner surfaces of the latching fingers of said snap latch portion when the latching fingers are inserted in said opening, whereby said' latching fingers are uniformly maintained in firm'contact with the cylindrical sidewall of the opening and withdrawal of said latching fingers from said opening is prevented.

2. The bobbin pickup knob according to claim 1 in which each of the resilient latching fingers is provided with an outwardly extending wedge-sha ed latching lip that is adapted to engage the undersurface oft e circular top of the top end cap when the latching lingers are inserted in the circular opening formed in said top end cap.

3. The bobbin pickup knob according to claim 1 in which the outer surface of the latching finger lock bushing is roughened to inhibit withdrawal of said bushing from the tubular snap latch portion into which it is inserted. 

